Mecklenburg County’s Lee Robertson will serve as North Carolina’s 26th Judicial Bar district President starting on July 1, 2025, according to an announcement from his law firm Robertson & Associates.
Robertson is a Charlotte-based lawyer and the managing partner of Robertson & Associates. He practices commercial litigation, construction law and employment defense and is a member of six bars, which include North Carolina, U.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina, U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina, U.S. District Court Middle District of North Carolina, U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court.
Judicial bar districts are geographical divisions within a state sorting the legal community — such as lawyers and judges — into manageable segments for administrative and regulatory purposes. In North Carolina, these districts play a crucial role in the functioning of the state’s judicial and legal systems.
“There are 44 judicial districts, and so those 44 judicial districts, in some cases, are multiple counties grouped together,” Robertson explained to Qnotes. “In other cases, it’s just one county, and that’s how Mecklenburg [County] is.”
There’s a variety of Bars within the state, including the North Carolina State Bar which every lawyer who practices law in North Carolina must be a part of. Robertson will serve as the President-Elect for the 26th Judicial Bar district starting July 1 and will then transfer into the role of president the next year.
“There are certain things that we are responsible for, for example, grievances — any complaints against lawyers — … certain judicial elections when a judge steps down [in] the middle of their term, we handle the election to fill that vacancy,” Robertson explained.
There are also voluntary Bars lawyers and justices can opt into, including the North Carolina Bar Association, which has chapters across the state. Robertson has been a member of the The North Carolina Bar Association and the Mecklenburg Bar Association, and he said something he wishes to do is open the world of law to everyone.
“The practice of law and the composition of lawyers is changing, and I think that’s a necessary and welcome change,” Lee explained. “So I am proud to be a part of that.”
The North Carolina Bar Association has a history of excluding diverse perspectives when it comes to those it allows into its ranks. Just last year, a drag presentation was scheduled by the association to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride month and commemorate the queer, trans and gender-nonconforming lawyers and judges. Bar association leadership, however, decided to cancel the show.
Robertson said after the state’s association decided to cancel it, the Pauli Murray LGBTQ+ Bar Association elected to host its own drag show. In fact, Robertson’s firm (which is completely separate from his position as President-elect of the 26th Judicial Bar) is a sponsor for the event.
While Robertson — an openly gay man himself — has supported inclusivity efforts publically, his position with the 26th Judicial Bar is meant to serve as an unbiased administrative role.
“I am heavily involved in supporting those various efforts, but it’s different from what I’ll be doing in this role which is established by the government,” he states. “That’s why I think being involved personally is an important thing, because I can stay involved there without it being in some official capacity.”
Mecklenburg County is home to over 6,000 practicing attorneys, all of which will be members of Robertson’s Bar. He said he is excited to continue his work with the Bar, and hopes to help make it a more inclusive and diverse space.
“I think [Mecklenburg County] is a good place to practice law,” Robertson said. “I’m excited to continue my involvement in this way and hope to continue doing so. “